Caged
by Balooga the Narutard
Summary: Neji was a servant. Shikamaru was royalty. Neji was caged. Shikamaru could set him free. Somehow, in the begining, they knew they belonged together. YAOI ShikaNeji. ON TEMPORARY HIATUS
1. Chapter 1

**Hello and welcome to my first story! I really hope you like! **

**I wrote this mostly because this pairing doesn't get enough love.**

**Disclaimer: I DOES NOT OWNS THE NARUTO! If I did there would be WAAY more yaoi and yuri!**

**Warnings: THAR BE YAOI! If you don't like it, please don't come on here just to say how "immoral" it is! :P**

**PLEASE READ AND ENJOY!**

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><p>He looked out the open window, letting the soft evening rain gently graze his pale features. The wind blew his hair this way and that, relishing in the fact that the silk brunette strands were free from their usual ponytail. Neji sighed when he heard a loud bell, signaling that someone was calling for him. The deep booming sound meant that it was coming from Hiashi-sama's office, he knew because whenever Hinata-sama rung, she did it more daintily as to not hurt her cousin's ears. Neji climbed down the stairs and moved swiftly through the Hyuuga mansion, passing the many doors until he reached his uncle's door. He knocked twice before entering.<p>

"You called, Hiashi-sama?" He asked softly. The older man, who looked exactly like Neji's deceased father, turned around from his desk. He scowled when he saw Neji's un-groomed hair.

"Get dressed at once. We are having the Nara's over at dinner about Shikamaru and Hinata's arranged wedding. You are to be serving and they will be here in thirty minutes." With that the man shooed Neji away and continued doing whatever he was doing before speaking to the boy. Neji bowed slightly even though he wasn't seen and left the small office.

Yes, Hiashi was keeping his own nephew as a servant. This wasn't how the clan's elders wanted it. Not at all. Neji was not from the main family, that was correct, but the branch family were not to be treated as slaves. They were to be less powerful. Not pushed around like some old rag doll.

_And it's all Hiashi's fault_, Neji thought bitterly, raking an old, broken comb through his hair.

Neji lived in the attic with nothing but a small mattress a thin blanket, and a small desk that held a cracked, dirty mirror, some hygiene essentials, and a couple of personal items. He was only allowed to shower once a week. He was never allowed outside unless instructed to go.

Neji heard the doorbell ring and immediately left his desk to look out the window. There he saw two men who looked like they had better places to be and one woman who seemed to be shouting at the two men. He guessed they were the Nara's that his uncle had told him about. The brunette climbed down the three flights of stairs (Not including the ladder he used to get out of the attic.) to get to the first floor. He opened the door and bowed.

"Welcome to the Hyuuga household." He opened the door more to allow the guests inside. "Hinata-sama, Hiash-sama, and Hanabi-sama are getting ready for you're stay. please have a seat in the living area." The words left his mouth smoothly, having said them millions of times before. He lead the Nara's to the large living room and offered drinks. Once he was kindly denied, he bowed again and went to the kitchen to prepare appetizers.

As he walked into the kitchen, he couldn't help but feel eyes on him. He turned around slowly and discreetly and met the piercing dark brown eyes of the younger man. He felt a shiver run down his spine and continued on his way.

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><p>Dinner was going exactly the way they always did. Neji cooked, served, and cleaned. Hiashi talked to the adults. Hinata and Hanabi talked to the "Groom to be", Shikamaru, if Neji remembered correctly. Neji scowled when he noticed that the one who was staring at him was the one to be marrying Hinata. Of course it was quite obvious because the boy talking to Neji's cousin was definitely the youngest. But that didn't mean he couldn't be worried. Neji moved to the archway the led to the kitchen, leaning on it and looking at the young man that seemed not so caught up in the conversation.<p>

The look that the ponytailed boy gave him was... Well he didn't know what it was. It wasn't exactly lust, but it was definitely something to be afraid of. Just thinking about it made him shiver, and not the good kind either. They were the kind you have when watching a scary movie. When something is about to happen, and you know it, you just don't know when.

Neji was pulled from his thoughts by his uncle.

"Neji, it's getting late. Show the Nara's to their guest rooms." Neji nodded. It was just then that he noticed he was staring at Shikamaru. And he was staring back.

Shivers.

Neji cursed himself for not having more composer and went to lead the way to a couple of the many spare rooms in the house. He showed Shikaku and Yoshino to the larger bedroom first, leaving him and Shikamaru walking through the empty halls alone. Neji thought the other teen was doing this on purpose. He continuously denied all the rooms that the long haired brunette offered.

"Is this room to your liking?" He asked, trying to sound as polite as possible in his oh so frustrated state. Shikamaru smirked.

"Well... I guess it's somewhat to my liking. I'll take it because I don't want to be too troublesome." Neji resisted the urge to sigh with relief. He nodded.

"The bathroom is down the hall, two doors to the right. If you need anything, ring the bell in the corner to contact me and I will be here as soon as possible." Neji bowed and left when Shikamaru nodded.

_How annoying can one person be? _Neji thought when he reached his room. He sat cross legged on the mattress, his elbows on his knees, his chin resting on his thumbs with his fingers interlaced in front of his mouth. He sat with a scowl clearly evident in his lips.

This Shikamaru person is definetly not the right one for Hinata and Neji knew it. He was strange. Neji didn't like him and he didn't exactly know why. Maybe it was the way he seemed to be forever bored. Maybe it was because he didn't seem to like Hinata. Maybe it was the way he stared at Neji.

He shivered. Yes, it was they way he stared. With those seemingly endless eyes. Those dark pools of tar. Those obsidian orbs of pure lust and sultry that stared directly into his soul, reading his fantasies and dreams, making them come to life.

Neji gasped when he heard the bell from Shikamaru's room ring. He looked at the clock to see that he had been thinking about another man's eyes for thirty minutes.

He gave an annoyed sigh when he noticed his quite prominent erection.

The process of Hinata getting married is not going to be a fun one.

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><p><strong>You like? I sure hope so! If there is something that irks you about my writing, please don't hesitate to review and tell me! I really want to be the best writer that I can be and I would really like some critique.<strong>

**R&R!**


	2. Chapter 2

**I am sooo sorry it took me so long to upload. My laptop battery got all crappy and it refused to charge. My mom was all like "I serves you right. You are on that thing all day and night looking at who knows what!" Yeah... She caught me reading a M rated yaoi fan fiction and she flipped. Saying that I was an impure child and stuff like that... ANYWHAY**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or its characters. :Sadface:**

**ENJOY!**

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><p>Neji climbed down the ladder from the attic, groaning silently in obvious displeasure. He hasn't taken care of his problem and he was glad for the loose sleep pants that he was wearing. He walked down the hall as slowly as possible, without making it seem as if he's trying to walk as slowly as possible. When he made it to Shikamaru's door, he knocked lightly. At the muffled 'come in', he opened the door a little bit.<p>

"You called, Nara-san?" He asked from his spot in the hall. Shikamaru nodded.

"I wanted to ask you something. You don't have to answer if you don't want to." He said, sounding less bored then usual. Neji looked at the other teen. He was looking at them with those eyes. No, not the ones to be afraid of, though they were still peircing and black. Neji could tell that under the cloudiness of boredom, there was a hint of concern.

Neji nodded absentmindedly, wondering why someone who was fit enough to marry a Huuga would want to talk with a simple servant. He walked into the room and closed the door behind himself. He went to sit in the chair in front of a small oak desk in the corner of the room.

"What was it that you needed to ask." He asked politely. Shikamaru nodded.

"Hiashi-san, you and him are related, correct?" He decided to get straight to the point.

"Yes... Why do you ask?"

"Why would he keep his own flesh and blood as a servant?" Shikamaru continued calmly. Neji flinched at the anger that was hidden behind his words. You could just tell that Shikamaru wanted to shout that question. But he kept it eerily calm.

Neji clenched his fists. Never has he had a conversation about the reason he is kept like an animal. The reason he is pushed around like a ragdoll. He never talked about it because a) There was no one to talk to, and b) bacause talking got the best of everyone. Talking about emotions made it easier to show them. To Neji, showing emotions, especialy saddnes and fear, was showing weakness. And he definitly did not want to show weakness in front of someone he just met, let alone a future in-law. He stood up hastily.

"That is none of your concern." He moved to the door without looking back. "If that is all, Nara-san, I will be taking my leave." He opened the door and left the room without another word. He would have looked back. He honestly would have. But the tear making its way down his face spoke otherwise. He walked though the halls, wiping away his tears as he went. He was glad that Shikamaru didn't follow him.

_Stupid emotions. Stupid tears. Stupid Shikamaru. Stupid me. _ Neji cursed everything that came to mind. He hated himself for being so weak, for almost showing emetions. He hated Shikamaru for asking the question in the first place. It wasn't any of his damn buisness! He hated his uncle for changing the clan and turning everything upside down. He hated the elders for dying and forcing Hiashi to take care of the clan. He hated the ladder that he climbed up as he made his way to the attic and got a splinter. He hated the tatterd mattress the he fell on when he tripped and stubbed his toe.

"Damn it..." He whispered through sobbing lips. He never cried. Even in the comfort of his own room, he NEVER cried. Just hearing those words out loud were enough to break him down. Enough to make him shatter and fall to pieces.

He punched the matteress, angry at everyone and everything. He punched it a second time, this time softer, sad because thinking about the reason he was enslaved made him think of his father. He punched it one last time, only this one was hardly a punch. It was more like lifting his fist and letting it drop lifelessly to the mattress. He was tired. He had checked the clock in Shikamaru's room and saw that it was almost one in the morning.

He cried himself to sleep that night, dreaming of the way things were when he was a young child. When his father was alive. When the main branch meant almost nothing to him.

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><p>"N-Neji... Are you ok-okay?" Neji turned around from his setting the table to the voice behind him. His younger cousin, Hinata stood shyly. the tips of her fingers pushed together. Yes technically she owned him, but that didn't mean she didn't think he was still family.. Neji looked at her questioningly. He was showing no si`ghns of being anything but okay. Hinata pointed to the glass that he was holding. "Y-You're clutching the g-glass r-really hard." He said quietly.<p>

He looked at the glass in his hands and frowned as he saw it start to crack in his hand. He slowly let his grip on glass lessen.

"I'm fine, Hinata." He said. He never used honorifics with her because she ordered him not to. "I just had a long night." He took the glass to the garbage bin next to the kitchen counter and threw it away. Hinata followed.

"If you n-need to talk about anything a-at all..." She trailed off. She grabbed Neji's now empty hand in hers, stroking his fingers. Neji smiled at the contact. Hinata was always there for him. He didn't usually go to her for help but it was good to know there was someone.

"I can take care of myself, Hinata. You need to worry about you. Especially because you are to be married soon." She nodded and let go of his hand. Neji went back to work on the table, grabbing a new glass to replace the one he broke.

"Just kn-know I'm here." She watched Neji nod and left the kitchen. When Neji knew she was no longer there, he cursed quietly, mad at himself for not keeping his calm and collected façade. He continued his work, but not without noticing eyes that continued staring in his direction. He turned slightly to see that it was in fact Shikamaru who was looking at him. Neji faught back the urge to tell the Nara about his uncle and why he was being used the way he was.

It was almost to the point of exploading that Neji finished his chores. He could hardly take the way Shikamaru stared at him so intently. He quickly excused himself srom breakfast and went up to the attic, receiving confused stares from his cousins.

Once he was in his room, he went over to his desk and sat down on the old wooden chair. He occupied himself with brushing his hair and thinking.

Why does Shikamaru affect him in such a way? A way in which he feels obligated to pour his feelings out. He wanted to let the other know how he became the way he is and what led to that. It was strange really, the way he has never felt anything close to this with any other person. Out of all the visiters to the Huuga mansion, this one had to be the most 'troublesome'. What was with the was Shikamaru stared at him. Not the way he did this morning or last night in his guest room. It was the way he stared _before _that. The way he stared like he wanted something from him. And Neji wasn't sure if he would mind giving it to him.

Neji shook his head, clearing his thoughts. _No._ He thought stubbornly. _I _would_ mind giving _anything_ to him._ He sighed. Even he wasn't convencing himself.

He got up and walked to the attic window. Looking at the outside world always cheered him up. Seeing the nature and beauty that surrounded the mansion was peacefull and comforting.

As he looked, a small smile graced his face when he saw a couple of birds fly passed the window. He's only witnessed a couple of years of being free like that, but he knew enough to know that it is one of the most amazing things he's ever felt before. To be able to do what one wishes, it's breathtaking. Absolutly magnificent.

His smile dissapeared when he remembered how quickly his moment of free flying was so abrubtly snatched away from him. He wished he could go back to a time when he was just a child, fifteen years ago, when he was with his father.

Neji got up to go back downstairs to the dining room. He no longer wanted to dwell on the fact that his life went from perfect to complete and utter crap. He needed anything to occupy his mind.

Of course, right when he stepped foot on the first floor, Hiashi was right there, questioning why he was gonr.

"Where did you go to, Neji. You've forced the guests to serve themselves." He said sternly. In all honesty, Neji did not mean to say it. He would have apologised profusely for leaving early if it weren't for the sudden annoyence that settled in his mind. He wasn't thinking straight and he immediately wanted to take it back once he said it. Neji looked up and narrowed his eyes.

"Well if you needed me so badly, you were perfectly capable of ringing a stupid bell." The room fell silent. He snapped his mouth shut right after. He winced at the look in Hiashi's eyes. It was one of anger and fury. He felt eyes on him from all around and knew it was the Nara's and his cousins. Neji opened his mouth to take it back, to explain that it was an accident, but Hiashi cut him off.

"In the gardens. Now. You aren't to come in until every weed is _hand-pulled _from the ground. And when you do finish, you are to come to my office and we will have a little talk." He said sternly, pointing to the back of the house to dissmiss Neji. The boy nodded and obediantly walked to the large sliding glass doors that led to the backyard.

_What the hell was I thinking! _He asked himself in his mind. He literally smacked himself in the forehead when he was sure he was no longer in anyone's sight. That was such a stupid thing for him to do. Even if his mind was on something distracting.

He hauled himself to the gardens, going to the large plain shed right next to a thick tree. He got some gloves and gray overalls to keep his clothes from getting dirty. Just as he was kneeling down to pick out weeds, a famillier voice came from behind him.

"Gardening is troublesome." The voice said boredly. "I could help you if you like."

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><p><strong>Hoped you liked! And I promise I will get the next chapter up sooner!<strong>

**R&R plz!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry it took long again. I was preoccupied with nothing but crap. **

**Anyway, This chapter is short again. Just because of that, I will make the next chapter way longer and in Neji's point of view. I think I can add more detail, that way. :)**

**Sorry for any spelling errors.**

**Enjoy.**

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><p>Neji looked up from the green neusance he was about to pull from the ground to look at Shikamaru. The other boy stood there with his hands in his pockets and looking up, seeming very interested in the clouds passing by. Neji cleard his throat.<p>

"Why would you want to help me do something as 'troublesome' as pulling weeds?" Neji asked, deciding that being a smart alek would be the best way of getting rid of the other boy. Shikamaru smirked and looked down at Neji who continued to pick out the weeds.

"Yes well, I just hate to see someone else doing something so troublesome, you know? Watching is almost as troublesome as doing, so I might as well ask, right?" He said smugly. Neji frowned.

"Your logic is inadequate." He stated simply, starting to get annoyed with Shikamaru's preasance. The other ignored the comment.

"I assume the supplies in in the shed?" Neji didn't grace him with an answer. Shikamaru nodded and went over to the shed, grabbing gloves and overalls for himself. He walked back, kneeling down to silently pick the weeds.

It was like this for almost an hour. The two boys side by side, picking and throwing the unneeded pests. Neji thought he could take it at first, but in all honesty, after about twenty minutes he couldn't take it. The silence started to get more and more awkward and Neji felt like he needed to say something. Anything to get the almost suffocating silence out of the way. But what came out of his mouth was defintly not the start of happy small talk.

"Why?" He asked. Almost not believing that the word uttered came out of his own mouth, he looked away from the other. Shikamaru looked at Neji's turned head.

"Why, what? Why would I want to help you? I already told you earlier." He answerd, going back to the work at hand. Neji scoffed.

"You know that's not what I mean." He stated, going along with the conversation that he knew he didn't want to have. Shikamaru smiled crockedly, though it had no humor.

"Why do I care about your life? Why did I ask you that question last night? Why do I stare?" He asked, looking straight into Neji's eyes. "I... Don't know. You interest me, Neji. But it's too troublesome to explain why..." He turned back to his work a second time, leaving Neji to stare at what used to be those hypnotizing eyes.

Neji thought about what had just been revealed to him. It was odd to say the least. He thought about what that meant to be 'interested' in someone, as he put it. He's never been interested in anyone before, mostly because he was never close to anyone besides Hinata and maybe Hanabi. He'd never thought of himself as an interesting person. Just a normal servant. And even if he wasn't, he'd be quite boring to be around. He sighed and turned back to the work at hand, noticing he was almost done and would have to confront his uncle later on.

Neji stood in Hiashi's office, watching as the man stared at him. He's been there for roughly three minutes but it felt like a lifetime. Wondering what his punishment will be was painful. Hiashi could be very cruel when he wanted to. Neji knew this first hand. His thoughts were interupted by the man before him letting out an explosive sigh.

"What will I do with you, boy?" He asked wearily. "Shikaku said that he would never allow his servants to act like that. You've embarrased me in front of company, Neji." Neji swollowed, knowing that the consequence was not going to be pretty. "He offered to take you and whip you into shape. He said a few months with them will make you a better servant." At that, Neji almost gaped. That was definately something he was not expecting. He nodded despite his feelings for the new situation.

"When should I pack my things, Hiashi-sama?" He asked politely.

"Right now. The Nara's will be leaving before lunch. I expect you to be ready by then." Neji looked at the clock. Less than an hour before lunch. He resisted the urge to sigh and nodded curtly.

"Yes, Hiashi-sama." He turned to leave the office and went upstairs to his attic.

_Dammit. _He thought bitterly, grabbing a medium sized burlap sack and throwing his few clothing in it. _I bet it was all Shikamaru's idea. _He snatched his things from the dresser and flung them into the bag angrily. _That whole interaction at the gardens was most likely all an act! _He kicked the mattress and threw the sack on the floor. He never got this angry. Things were changing so much in the span of not even twelve hours. First he cries, then he insults his uncle, and now he loseing his cool. He sighed and sat on the matteress.

This was all so stupid. Everything was stupid. It was just perfect until the Nara's came and ruined everything. They changed the somewhat great life he was living before those lazy men came into the picture.

His head popped up at the sound of knocking on his door. He walked over and opened the door to see Shukaku. Neji got up and bowed. The man waved it off.

"Maa. No need for that." He looked around the small cramped space. "Do you have everything you need?" He asked. Neji looked around and nodded. He was ready to go and be a slave for someone else. Shikaku smiled and turned around to leave. "Alright then, let's leave." He left the room and Neji followed.

Neji looked out the window of the carrige as the horses came to a stop outside of a beautiful large house. One that almost rivaled his own. It was three stories high and the stone walls were lined with ivy and vines. It was beautiful. It looked homey. Neji's house, he never considered a home to him. It was simply a place to live. A place where he was forced to do work, and the Nara's home won't be any different.

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><p><strong>Thanks for staying with me after all this time!<strong>

**R&R!**


	4. Chapter 4

**I know what you're thinking. "AH! Di is teh shortar then teh rest!" But it is just kind of a test one. I decided to write this chapter in first person. If I get enough review telling me it is good like this, I will continue to write like this! I hope it's not as bad as I think it is...**

**ENJOY!**

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><p>Shikaku instructs one of the servents to show me around. The cook. He's a chubby one, about my age. He held a bag of potato chips when he greeted me with a hearty thump on the back that almost knocked me over.<p>

"The name's Choji!" He'd said excitedly through a mouthful of barbeque flavored heart attack. I simply nodded.

As we walk through the house, Choji tells me how great the Nara's treat him. He says that Shikamaru is like a brother to him and vice versa. That somewhat explains why He wanted to talk to me and get to know me better. But that doesn't quite explain why he was _interested _in me. Even now, I could hear those words clear in my mind.

_"You interest me, Neji. But it's too troublesome to explain why..."_

He left it at that. When he'd said that, did he mean that he didn't _feel _like explaining, or he didn't know _how _to explain. I squint in frustration, only paying attention to the words comeing out of Choji's mouth when he says my name. I look over to him, raising my eyebrow in question.

"I said I like your eyes. It's natural for a Hyuuga, right?" I nod, wondering where that question had come from. Choji smiles. "They're interesting. But I'm not comeing on to you or anything." He finishes.

"... Of course." I say. Is that why Shikamaru finds me interesting? Is it my eyes...? No. It couldn't be. He'd be 'interested' in Hanabi and Hinata, too. Hiashi, even. Unless he _is _interested in them. I frown. This is really confusing. I sigh, defeated. Choji notices and looks over to me.

"Hey, you have a great personality and all, but I just don't bat for that team." He said with an apologetic smile. Idiot.

"Does Shukaku need anything done around the house?" I ask, changing the subject. Choji shakes his head.

"I don't think so. I usually get everything ready for lunch. If he does then he'll most likely call for you."

"Then would you mind showing me to my room?" I ask politely. He laughes and walks ahead.

"Of course not!" Choji led me down a hall and a couple of doors down. He opened the door and motioned for me to go in. I nod my thanks and go in. He closes the door behind me.

The room is very nice. It has simple cream colored walls, the carpet a pearl white. A bed with brown sheets sits in one corner of the room. My bag is sitting on the bed because one of Shikaku's other servants brought it up a while ago. Next to the bed, there was a wooden night table on the left side. I smile slightly. It's a huge upgrade compared to my old attic.

I walk to the bed and sit down, picking up my bag and pulling out my only book. It's the first of a trilogy and I've had it since before my father died. So far, I've read it ten times and I'm about to finish it an eleventh. It's a good book, though. I don't mind much.

I was just finishing the second to last chapter when Shukaku knocked before walking in. A small bored-looking smile on his face. I absently think that maybe a look of eternal boredness ran in the family when he opened his mouth to speak.

"Lunch is ready." He said politely. I nod and put down my book, not bothering to save the page because I'm already on the last chapter.

"Thank you for telling me, Shikaku-sama." I reply to him. He was about to leave the room when he sees the book I placed on the night table. He smirked lazily.

"Truth in the Ashes." He says with humor. "You steal that from an eighty-year-old woman?" He laughed lightly at the blush I failed to hide and walked over to pick up the book. He opened it, probably noticing the worn pages where I've folded them to save where I was at. He tsked. "Yoshina has all the books. You could borrow the second and third if you like." He told me, placing the book down. I shake my head reluctantly.

"That's not ness-" He cuts me off.

"You'll take them," He says with a smile. "And that's and order." He winks and walks away, leaving me to sit in the room, stupified as to why he would do something like that.

Hiashi said that Shikaku would 'whip me into shape' and spoiling me with books and things that I don't need would not help with that. I sigh and move off the bed to go to the diningroom. I memorised all of the halls and rooms that I passed on my way here so I vaugly remember how to get around.

As I walk into the diningroom, I'm assulted with the smell of spagetti. It's a simple lunch that makes me kind of happy. At the Hyuuga mansion, it was always Wagyu beef or Abalone. Those fancy high class meals were fun to look at, but on the rare occasion that I'm allowed to eat it, it's honestly horrible. I wonder if I'd be able to eat at the table but the thought leaves me when I see Chouji and two others that I could only guess were servents starting to make themselves comfortable at the table. Obviously the Nara's are way different then the Hyuuga's.

I move to sit at the table with the rest of them as Chouji passes around the large bowl of pasta for everyone to get some. I sit between Shikamaru and his mother, Yoshina. She's a nice woman, despite what Shikamaru told me about her on the carrige ride here. According to him, his father is 'whipped by a troublesome woman'. I do agree with that statement to some degree. Watching the Nara's interact, you could just see that Yoshina is the boss. But that is probably because the men of the house are too lazy to go against it.

I smirk as I see Shikamaru almost drop the bowl when Chouji hands it to him and Yoshina gets mad and shouts. Shikamaru frowns and mutters a 'troublesome woman' while he pretends to listen to his mother.

Sure, living in an entirely different place might be a hard thing to get used to, but I'm really starting to like it here...

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><p><strong>You think it's good? Yes? No? Maybekindapossiblysorta good?<strong>

**Please R&R**


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